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Pro-Atheism Documentary "Religulous" (as in ridiculous)

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~Sophia~

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Unfortunately, based on these reviews and interviews, I think Bill Maher is your typical skeptic. He dropped the faith, but never really picked up reason and the idea of a contextual absolute. So I think he is against absolutism of any form, it's just that the religious are about the only ones today claiming to have certainty in anything, especially in their morality. Of course, Objectivists know there can be absolute certainty within a context, but we do reject the idea of "absolute" knowledge that is not contextually based upon the facts known. In other words, like most atheists, I don't think Bill Maher is one of us -- one of the rational people who goes by what he knows absolutely. He even says that we don't need a man of faith in the White House, we need a man of doubt. Oh, do we now? Do we really need someone in the White House who doubts what his job is and who doubts individual rights and their applications under the law? I don't think so.

I will probably go to this movie out of curiosity, and just to know what people are talking about when all hell breaks lose against it; but I do not side with atheists who are atheists for the sake of doubting.

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Regardless of his views on religion, he's certainly no friend or ally of mine.

So, you agree with and/or are friends with everyone involved in every movie you see? That is not a realistic way to go through life.

I am no fan of Maher's, but based on the trailer, I would like to take a look at this film for a good laugh, if nothing else.

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So, you agree with and/or are friends with everyone involved in every movie you see? That is not a realistic way to go through life.

Um, what? How did you come up with that assessment?

What I meant was that while Bill Maher and I might both be atheists, I still despise the man, and I certainly won't support his socialist agenda by paying to see his crappy movie.

People obsessed with the idea of atheism are usually pretty infantile anyway.

Edited by ers
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...and I certainly won't support his socialist agenda by paying to see his crappy movie.

Gee, can't imagine where I came up with that??

If I didn't go see a movie because I disagreed with the philosophy and/or political agenda of the film's makers or actors, I would never see any movies.

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Gee, can't imagine where I came up with that??

If I didn't go see a movie because I disagreed with the philosophy and/or political agenda of the film's makers or actors, I would never see any movies.

There's a difference here. If I refused to see any movie that contained an actor/producer/writer that disagreed with me, you'd be right, I'd never see anything. However, Bill Maher is active in promoting his socialist agendas. I have prior knowledge and abhorrence of this man. I lump in the same vein as Michael Moore. Just as I would never buy any Michael Moore product, I won't see Bill Maher's movie.

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I am glad to see that type of material being produced and shown in the theatre near you, reaching a wide audience, today. I will judge it on its own merit and not by what other projects Mr. Maher is also working on. If it makes some people think about their accepted beliefs, perhaps questioning them for the first time in their life, that would be a step in the right direction. It may put some on a search for alternatives and that is where we have something to offer.

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  • 1 month later...

"After denying judgment in his film, Bill Maher chastised those of faith for lacking "critical thinking." Hasselbeck followed up wondering if he believes those of faith are lacking intelligence. Maher denied he subscribes to such a sentiment, but added intelligent people of faith have a "neurological disorder" who "walled off part of [their] mind."

From http://newsbusters.org/blogs/justin-mccart...were-young-dumb

Could it be that he is referring to compartmentalization? :dough:

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Advocacy Atheism is its own religion, and Maher is a high priest.

Be careful when you wish for religious people to abandon their faith; what they turn to may be even uglier, as Maher demonstrates. Those who must be convinced that their belief system is invalid are also likely to be convinced to turn to an even more invalid system, such as socialism.

One positive aspect of Christianity is that a "personal relationship" with god is encouraged. This belief that God's power comes through the person, and not through the Church tends to erode the collectivist nature of Christianity, and to provide a personal sense of capability to some adherents. This effects as a sort of God-through-self proxy worship for man, and a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence that is lacking in those who identify with the "the church" or other collective concept. In that way, it approaches Objectivism's implicit worship of the "man," though it denies the supremacy of reason in that worship.

I try to ignore whether a person's belief system involves a deity or not, and focus on the essentials, which are: how rationally they deal with reality, and how willing they are to force their ideas upon others. Atheism, by itself, is not good indicator of rationality, as the Soviet Union and Bill Maher's ilk prove.

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I saw the movie today and I'd suggest seeing it. I thought it was pretty entertaining though it did drag a little towards the end. The movie mocks the major Western religions as ridiculous, which they are. Unfortunately, the audience is asked to reject religious dogma based upon skepticism and doubt as opposed to reason. This was evident in the trailer and present in the movie. I rarely laugh during movies but there were several times when I laughed out loud. Some people on this forum will be able to appreciate this movie for what it is, others will not. You'll probably know which camp you fall into and if you're interested, I’d say see it. Entertaining and very much like the trailer.

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